Sendek: I'm happy, excited to be at ASU

During a 30-minute conversation with ASU head basketball coach Herb Sendek, he discussed many topics: Pac-10 expansion, the newcomers, recruiting and scheduling.

At one point I brought up Clemson's interest in him a couple months earlier and I asked him if he was happy at ASU. "I'm very happy," Sendek said. "And I'm excited. I think we've made a lot of progress, and I think we have a lot of work to do. It's always flattering when something like that happens, I suppose, but we stay focused on what we're doing here."

Sendek, who just completed his fourth season in Tempe, is under contract through June 30, 2014. He was the Pac-10's Coach of the Year last season, leading the Sun Devils to a second-place conference finish and a third-consecutive 20-win season. Sendek said the first-round Pac-10 Tournament loss to Stanford and first-round NIT loss to Jacksonville shouldn't overshadow what ASU accomplished during the regular season.

"Could we have done better? Sure,'' Sendek said. "Do we want to finish stronger? Absolutely. But just looking at it in the rearview mirror, I think a lot of expectations were exceeded and I think that group got a great deal out of themselves."

Will Rihards Kuksiks return?

According to a source, Rihards Kuksiks still isn't sure if he'll return for his senior season. Kuksiks, who is home visiting family in Riga, Latvia, would have to return to campus around Aug. 19, which is the the first day of classes, if he plans to play.

According to international reports, Kuksiks last week was named to the Latvian national team, which competes this month in a qualification tournament for the 2011 European Men's Basketball Championships. The event runs through Aug. 29. It's unknown if that has any effect on Kuksiks' plans.

Kuksiks was ASU's leading scorer last season, averaging 12.1 points per game. Two months ago, he said he was almost certain he'd return to ASU, but according to sources, his situation has changed.

Getting ready for the season

ASU will play closed scrimmages at St. Mary's and against Texas Tech before opening the season. The Sun Devils scrimmaged against Texas Tech last season.

Johnson likes ASU's creativity

Nick Johnson, a 6-foot-2 guard from Findlay Prep near Las Vegas, recently told Scout national recruiting director Dave Telep that ASU was among the schools "coming at him the hardest."

Johnson also included Arizona, St. John's, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Louisville on that list.

Telep asked Johnson which school had come up with the most unique recruiting pitch and Johnson smiled. "I'd have to say my hometown school, ASU," said Johnson, who spent his first two high school years at Gilbert Highland. "They said I could be the king of the town, billboards with my face on it. I thought that was pretty cool." Here's the July 24 interview.

According to USA Today, not every coach is thrilled about this, because it puts all the academic responsibility solely on them when so many others are involved.

"As much as you'd like to attribute it all to a coach because that makes it simpler and easier for everybody to digest," Sendek told the newspaper, "the truth of the matter is there are many variables beyond the coach's control and there are many individuals responsible for the outcome in addition to the coach."

Moving on

Former ASU forward Taylor Rohde travels north to begin his career at Alaska-Anchorage on Aug. 19.